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Morrigan Aensland
Kathleen Barr (anime) Erin Fitzgerald (Cross Edge) Siobhan Flynn (Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Ultimate MvC3) |japanactor=Yayoi Jinguji (most games) Rie Tanaka (Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Ultimate MvC3, Project X Zone, Onimusha Soul) Rei Sakuma (cartoon, anime, drama CD, Gunbird 2) Kikuko Inoue and Yumi Tōma (drama CDs) |creator=Akira Yasuda |artist= CRMK (Darkstalkers, Darkstalkers 3, Marvel vs. Capcom, '' Marvel vs. Capcom 2'')Darkstalkers Graphic File art book: "The Libido Roaming the Shadows". Ikeno (Night Warriors) Shinkiro (Capcom vs. SNK) Kinu Nishimura (Capcom vs. SNK 2) Shukō Murase (anime) |inuniverse= }} is a video game character from the Darkstalkers series of fighting games developed by Capcom. Morrigan is a succubus and a princess of the demon realm Makai, who is very vain and lives for little more than the excitement of battle, but slowly takes up more of her royal responsibilities seriously despite her obsessive fascination of the human world. Morrigan was introduced in the 1994 game Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors and has since appeared in every game in the series and in various related media, as well as in multiple video games outside the Darkstalkers game series. She is the central character of the extended Darkstalkers franchise and is widely perceived as one of the most popular Capcom characters. History and conception Character design Morrigan appears as a beautiful young woman with long sea-green hair, wearing a sleeveless black bustier-like top adorned with white feathers and a small heart cut out of the midriff; purple nylons emblazoned with bat patterns; black boots; and conspicuous batlike wings protruding from her back and the sides of her head. She can reshape these wings into spikes and blades when attacking her enemies, as well as using them to shield herself from enemy attacks; her wings can also separate from her, forming into an army of bats. She isn also able to split herself into two different mirror images that remain her physical forms until joined into one again. (This ability was later used for one of Spider-Man's special moves in Capcom's Marvel Super Heroes. ) Her human form is similar, but wingless and sometimes with blonde and not green hair. pictures showing several design ideas for the character prior to Morrigan's introduction in Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors]] Morrigan was created by Akira Yasuda (Akiman). Early in the development of Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors, the development team decided to have two female characters: a catwoman and a female vampire, characters who would become Felicia and Morrigan, respectively. Initially, Felicia was intended to be the "sexy" female character of the title, while the vampire would be the "cute" female character. However, Morrigan's design took on a tone that emphasized sexiness, causing Felicia's character concept to be altered accordingly. Her costume mirrors "her personality: somewhere between a batlike demon and a charming lover."Morrigan - Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 - Costume Breakdown, GameSpot. In most of her appearance, Morrigan has had exactly the same 2D sprite set as far as Capcom vs. SNK 2 (2001) as she did in the original Darkstalkers game (1994). Her sprites look especially poor''GamesTM'' 3, page 115. and out of place in the Capcom vs. SNK where they got visibly pixelatedAdam Woolcott, Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001, Gaming Target, February 05, 2002. and gained a black outline in the borders. She received an updated character model in 2008's Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, which was also the first game in which she was featured as a 3D rendered model. An altogether different super deformed style design sprite is used in Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo and Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix, in the latter of which she has an alternative nurse costume. In Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Femme Fatale Pack, which has been also available for free with pre-order from GameStop,Brelston > Blog > Ultimate MvC3 costume blog: Pre-Order pack edition, Capcom-Unity, November 11, 2011. Morrigan received a downloadable content (DLC) "casual outfit" costume based on her human form from the Darkstalkers games and the anime series.The Femme Fatale Pack: Morrigan, GameStop, 11/16/2011. Etymology Though Morrigan originates from Scotland in the Darkstalkers canon, neither her first nor last name is of Scottish origin. She is named after The Morrígan, an Irish mythological goddess whose name translates to "great queen," while Aensland particularly in the subtitles of the 1997 anime miniseries, where it was occasionally pronounced as such.|group="note"}} is a nonexistent surname in any Gaelic language, and is possibly a derivative or alternate spelling by Capcom of the Scottish surname Ainsley.Surname search: Aensland - Behind The Name. Retrieved April 19, 2014. Appearances In video games In Darkstalkers, Morrigan is a succubus born in 1678 in Scotland and is the adopted daughter of the demon king Belial of the Aensland House. When she was born, Morrigan was extremely powerful, so much so that Belial sealed away part of her power, one-third in himself to be returned upon his death, and one-third in a pocket dimension, which eventually became a being of its own, a child succubus named Lilith. Unaware of Belial's action, Morrigan grew up and found her life as a sheltered princess in the Aensland castle dull, so she frequently visited the human world to look for entertainment. On one occasion, Morrigan was drawn to a strange power (which would turn out to be the fire demon Pyron) and ventured into the human world once again. Upon her return, she was informed of Belial's death and that she was the next successor to the Aensland throne. Although she is now rightfully the ruler of the Makai, she shirks her responsibilities and seeks to continue her life as before. Morrigan eventually meets Lilith, and the two beings merge into one, fully restoring Morrigan's power. Morrigan was the original Darkstalker to break out of her original fighting game series and be transplanted in to the Marvel vs. Capcom series. In Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes (1998, remade as Marvel vs. Capcom Origins in 2012), not only was Morrigan present, but an alternate "Lilith-style" Morrigan was a secret character; in her intro cutscene sprite, Lilith appears and merges with her in a nod to when the two merged in Morrigan's ending in Vampire Savior. In Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000), she is joined by fellow Darkstalkers characters Anakaris, B.B. Hood and Felicia. Morrigan acts as the sole representative of the Darkstalkers series in the Capcom vs. SNK games, making appearances in both Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 and Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001. She appeared together with Felicia and B.B. Hood in SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium (1999) and was accompanied by Felicia and Hsien-Ko for crossover fighting games Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Cross Generation of Heroes (2008), Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars (2010), Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2011). Morrigan has also represented Darkstalkers in non-fighting games, appearing in the crossover tactical RPG Namco × Capcom (2005) and the multi-company crossover tactical role-playing games Cross Edge (2008) and Project X Zone (2012), in all cases appearing with other Darkstalkers personalities, as well as in the puzzle game Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo (1996), in the fighting game Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix (1997), in the card games SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash (1999) and Street Fighter X All Capcom (2013), in the Sega Dreamcast port of the shoot 'em up game Gunbird 2 (2000, as a secret character),Thomas Wilde, Gunbird 2, Gaming Target, August 21, 2001.Gunbird 2 Cheats, Codes, Unlockables - Dreamcast, IGN. in the North American version of We Love Golf! (2008),Jason Dobson, Ken and Morrigan shown hitting the links in We Love Golf, Joystiq, May 16th 2008. and in the Japanese version of the action role-playing video game Monster Hunter Frontier (2011). With all of her appearances in Capcom crossover projects, Morrigan is the single most common Darkstalkers cast member to appear outside of the origin series. She is also featured in her own mobile game, titled Osanpo Morrigan (お散歩モリガン Morrigan Taking a Walk), makes a cameo appearance in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game,Chris Plante, Every Easter Egg Hidden in the Scott Pilgrim Video Game Trailer, UGO.com, June 22, 2010. and is playable in the browser-based social game Onimusha Soul, where she was redesigned to fit its feudal Japan theme. Gameplay Morrigan's "Soul Fist" is very similar to a "Hadouken" fireball from Capcom's Street Fighter fighting game series. She is noted to be easy to use and her "Valkyrie Turn" is an especially damaging special move, but is also difficult to connect.Official Sega Saturn Magazine 9, page 84. In the original Marvel vs. Capcom, Morrigan calls upon Lilith for her Super Combo. |source=''CVG'' guide to Vampire Savior|width=30%|}} According to the Sega Saturn Magazine guide to Vampire Savior (Darkstalkers 3), "many DarkStalkers fans complain that Morrigan is the cheapest character in the game. Dragon Punch ripoffs and fast fireballs put her in the Ryu clone corner, but her flight powers, speed and strength make Morrigan the equal of game's boss Jedah. More powerful than her sister and faster than Demitri, this she-vampire is awesome."Official Sega Saturn Magazine 32, page 48. Writing about the first sequel, the magazine had previously opined: "Those thinking that Demitri was the Ryu of the piece should consider Morrigan to be distinctly Ken-like, as she imitates Mr Masters' Dragon Punch expertly, but has more moves than the crimson gi karate master. Easy to use, and with a Valkyrie Turn that'll inflict more damage than you thought possible (despite being difficult to connect), Morrigan remains a firm Saturn Mag favourite, not least because of her costume change cheat code." Other appearances The anime OVA series Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge featured Morrigan more like her game appearances, portraying her as an idel rich member of the royal family who was more interested in going to Earth than in her duties. She would often leave at will out of mere boredom, much to the frustration of her guardians, elder men of the Aensland family. Her father, Belial, is not mentioned. Morrigan's role as a hero is a focus, with her activities as a succubus downplayed. Morrigan is shown fighting Jon Talbain in the episode intros for the first three episodes. She battles Demitri Maximoff when he attempts to return to Makai but their battle is interrupted when they are sensed by Huitzil. In the last episode, Morrigan goes to Earth after Demitri was bested by Pyron and she encounters him unconscious in the ruins of his castle. Demitri suddenly awakens and attempts to vampirise Morrigan, but she does not resist, much to his surprise. Morrigan tells Demitri that he may become the leader of Makai after all, since a change of leadership is needed to help its current disarray from falling into destruction. They both later observe Donovan's victory over Pyron. In the UDON Comics version of Darkstalkers, Morrigan is a brash 300-year-old succubus who wants nothing more than to visit the human world and have a good time, often at the expense of the men she seduces, and completely ignores her duty as future ruler of the Makai Realm; this annoys her father, Belial, and gets her two servants, Lucien and Mudo into heaps of trouble. Eventually she hears of Demitri's restoration, and goes to her father to warn him, only to find that he is in no position to fight. For the first time, she takes on the responsibility that she has often put aside, and returns to the human world to fight Demitri, and prove herself worthy of the Makai Realm and the power that Belial sealed away many years ago. In the special issue Morrigan vs Demitri it is implied that had Belial not sealed away her power, Morrigan might have evolved into a being similar to Pyron and destroyed the Earth. Morrigan also appears in the Darkstalkers drama CDs, including Vampire Night: Owarai Yoru no Saiten, Darkness Mission: Tokusen Batā Shōyu Aji and EX Vampire: Night Warriors, as well as in multiple yonkoma parody comics for that were largely compiled from fan submissions. She is a lead character in the various manga adaptations of Darkstalkers, including Run Ishida's 1996 manga that was later adapted by Viz Comics under the title of Night Warriors: The Comic Series, and Mami Itou's 1997 Red Earth crossover manga Maleficarum that was released in English by UDON Comics in 2010. In the American non-canon cartoon series Darkstalkers, Morrigan was redesigned as character and changed into a villain. Morrigan's character in the cartoon was jealous, rude, power-hungry and despising humans, and stated to be a direct descendant of the evil sorceress Morgan le Fay (with the series' protagonist, an original character named Harry Grimoire, being a descendant of Merlin). Her appearance was also altered, making her look older and wear a less revealing costume. Scores of various figures and stauettes of Morrigan were produced by different manufacturers, including by Capcom themselves, Bandai, Epoch, HBC-Brote, Heihachi Zazen, Kotobukiya, Kurushima, Max Factory, Mersa, Moby Dick, Modeler's Hig, Oonishi Kouji, OOXOO, Organic, Pop Culture Shock Collectibles, SOTA Toys, Yamato, Yoiko, and Yujin, among many others. In fan service anime series Ultimate Girls, the character Tsubomi makes an appearance dressed up as Morrigan in the second episode. The character was also featured in many doujinshi unofficial self-published content, including erotic comics such as Hiroaki Samura's Sakkabasu no Yoru (Night of the Succubus). Reception Morrigan is widely seen as the most iconic character of Darkstalkers. Upon her introduction, Mean Machines Sega described her "one of the most bewitching girl characters ever to appear in gaming."Mean Machines Sega 40 (February 1996), pages 18-20. Morrigan was named the 17th best character of 1997 by Japanese magazine Gamest. Featuring her and Felicia in their Girls of Gaming special in 2003, play wrote that the two are famous for how they "unified the haunting with the erotic, along with previously unseen level of animation and creature design."Play magazine presents: Girls of Gaming #1. In 2013, Tom Goulter of GamesRadar wrote: "Few characters have consumed as much fan-ink as Darkstalkers' seductive succubus and the Street Fighter series' high-kicking bunhead. Both have sustained popularity for decades (Morrigan's 20th anniversary comes next year 2014), and they outlasted countless imitators to become standouts of the Capcom cast."Tom Goulter, Project X Zone roster: Meet all 60 playable characters, GamesRadar, January 24, 2013. That same year, GamesRadar staff also included Morrigan among the 30 best characters in the three decades of Capcom's history, commenting that "it’s hard to think of any of them more famous for their beauty" and noting that "she has a deeper backstory than some fan art would lead you to believe." ers of Lilith and Morrigan at the Tokyo Game Show 2011]] The 2009 book 500 Essential Anime Movies: The Ultimate Guide by Helen McCarthy cited Morrigan as an example of the popularity of the Darkstalkers character designs, with fans frequently cosplaying as the character at various conventions since the original game's release. Already in 1996, Capcom's representatives were quoted as saying: "If we add female characters, it is very popular. Have you every been to the show in Japan? People dress up as Morrigan or Felicia to play the games" In 2010, UGO's Chris Plante called her "Darkstalkers most recognizable character and also wildly popular with cosplayers." That same year, TF1 included Morrigan among the sexiest video game characters to cosplay, also noting her as one of the most charismatic. Le Top 15 des Cosplay les plus Sexy du jeu vidéo (partie 2), TF1, March 12, 2010. In GameFront's 2011 article showcasing some of Morrigan's (and Lilith's) cosplayers, Phil Owen called it "probably the sexiest gallery I’ve ever posted."Phil Owen, 50 Morrigan Aensland Cosplayers (WAY SEXY PICS), GameFront, February 14, 2011. Destructoid's Brittany Vincent wrote in 2014: "For some, Morrigan Aensland is the face of Darkstalkers. For every cosplayer who runs around in loose-fitting fur as Felicia, there are a hundred Morrigans basking in the glory that only comes from hitting up cons in a winged gymnastics costume. And we love it." According to GameSpot, "Morrigan has been a mainstay in the Capcom crossover fighting games and is definitely a fan favorite." Play featured her in the "Girls of Anime" special, later regretting her absence in Capcom Fighting Evolution in their "Girls of Gaming" special. GamesTM commented that Capcom's choice of Anakaris instead of Morrigan or Talbain to represent Darkstalkers the 2005 game Capcom Fighting Jam was "a strange selection, to say the least."GamesTM 29, page 118. In 2010, Game Informer chose Morrigan as one of the 20 Capcom characters they would like to see in a rumored crossover fighting game Namco Vs Capcom, her Namco side equivalent being Ivy Valentine.Tim Turi, 20 Namco Vs Capcom Matches We'd Love To See, Game Informer, July 20, 2010. In 2012, Complex ranked the "super sexual but also super deadly" Morrigan as the 13th "most dominant" fighting game character,Elton Jones, The 50 Most Dominant Fighting Game Characters, Complex.com, May 17, 2012. also including "Capcom vs. DC Universe" as third fighting game crossover idea they would like to see the most, for a battle between Morrigan and Wonder Woman.10 Fighting Game Crossovers We Want To See, Complex.com, April 10, 2012. That same year, Lucas Sullivan of GamesRadar ranked her as the fourth best character in the fighting game genre's historyLucas Sullivan, The Top 7… Best fighting game characters, GamesRadar, September 10, 2012. and WatchMojo.com ranked her as the sixth most iconic fighting game character. In 2013, Complex placed Morrigan ninth on their list of video game characters that deserve a spin-offObi Anyanwu, 25 Video Game Characters That Deserve a Spinoff, Complex.com, January 2, 2013. and Mike Andronico of Gamenguide named her as the "fiercest female in today's fighting games" who "has stood the test of time as one of fighting games' most iconic faces." In 2008, Morrigan was included on a list of top "chicks behaving badly" by IGN's Scott Cullura for her "penchant for magic and kick-ass fighting moves," her outfit described as "one that would make even Jenna Jameson blush."Scott Cullura, Top 50 Chicks Behaving Badly: Round 1, IGN, March 31, 2008. She was also featured in a list of ten "babes who shouldn't meet your mom" by GameDaily in 2008, as well as in a list of ten "game girls you wouldn't dare to date" by Virgin Media in 2010.Morrigan Aensland (Darkstalkers) - Bad Date, Virgin Media. In 2011, Rich Knight of Complex pitted Morrigan against Agent Rayne in the "battle of the beauties" feature, comparing them to "the sexy goth girls you were too afraid to ask out in high school" and choosing Morrigan,Rich Knight, Battle of the Beauties: Gaming's Hottest Female Characters Face Off, Complex.com, November 9, 2011. but Richard Coombs of Blistered Thumbs ranked her as number one video game woman "you wouldn’t want to be with" as "that would probably be the scariest romance you could ever be in."Richard Coombs, The Top 9 Video Game Women You Wouldn’t Want to be With, Blistering Thumbs, April 15, 2011. Game Revolution included an alleged rumor of Morrigan's romance with Nintendo's Princess Daisy in their 2014 April Fools' Day feature. Sex appeal , which praised both her design and abilities as "awesome" ]] Morrigan was often noted as one of the most sexy characters of fighting games and gaming in general. In 2003, GameSpy's Bryan Johnson ranked this "embodiment of sexual temptation" as the third top "babe in games", calling her and Capcom's answer to SNK's Mai Shiranui.Bryan "Sir Crossforge" Johnson, Top 10 Babes in Games, GameSpy, May 4, 2003. GameDaily placed Morrigan number nine on their 2008 list of "hottest game babes", while UGO ranked Morrigan as the fourth in their 2011 list of the "foxiest fighting females to ever be pixelated."Aubrey Sitterson, Fighting Games' Finest Female Fighters, UGO.com, January 14, 2011. GameFront staff featured her twice on their list of "greatest boobs in video game history", at 37th (for the ''Darkstalkers version, called the "reason 12 year olds packed arcades into the late 90s") and 11th (for the Marvel Vs. Capcom version, being "50% of all Comic Con costumes");GameFront Staff, The Greatest Boobs In Video Game History (Gallery), GameFront, May 5, 2011. Morrigan's breasts were also ranked as the eight best in gaming history by Rich Shivener of Joystick Division that same year.Rich Shivener, 10 Incredible Chests in Video Games, Joystick Division, August 1, 2011. In 2012, Morrigan was ranked as the third "hottest" character video game history by Larry Hester of Complex,Larry Hester, The 50 Hottest Video Game Characters, Complex.com, Jun 27, 2012. and as the 17th "hottest" female video game character by Kristie Bertucci of Gadget Review,Kristie Bertucci, 20 hottest female video game characters (list), Gadget Review, July 5, 2012. while ZoominGames named her costume as the second most sexy outfit in games.Top 5 - Sexiest game outfits, Zoomin.TV, October 19, 2012. In 2013, Scott Marley of Daily Record declared Morrigan the eight most attractive female video game characterScott Marley, Top Ten Most Attractive Female Video Game Characters, Daily Record, 28 March 2013. and Steve Jenkins of CheatCodes.com ranked her as the seventh "hottest video game girl" of all time. She was included among the "old school hotties that still got it" by Travis Hubert of Cheat Code Central in 2014. Furthermore, UGO included Morrigan on their 2008 list of 11 "hottest babes to ever hit the video game world," stating that "one thing that video game babes have over the real–life variety is that it's much easier for a girl who's made of pixels to rock an absolutely ludicrous outfit and still look hot ... she doesn't look a year of her 300, and her appearances across the Capcom fighting franchises prove that the company has an excellent eye for the female form,"UGO Team, Top 11 Girls of Gaming, UGO.com, January 15, 2008. as well as in the 2011 list of 50 "hottest girls in games".UGO Team, Top 50 Videogame Hotties, UGO.com, October 27, 2011. In 2009, Gelo Gonzales of FHM listed the "undeniably seductive" Morrigan among the nine sexiest "bad girls of videogame land",Gelo Gonzales, The bad girls of videogame land, FHM, September 11, 2009. while Manolith included her on the lists of top ten "sexiest video game women" and 25 "hottest female video game protagonists".Akela Talamasca, Top 10 Sexiest Video Game Women, Manolith, July 30, 2009.The Manolith Team, 25 Hottest Female Video Game Protagonists, Manolith, December 9, 2009. Johnny Firecloud of CraveOnline featured this "iconic succubus" on his 2010 list of ten "hottest video game girls of all time", commenting that she "is more than just an anatomic wonder - she's also one of the single most sexually stylistic ladies in gaming land."Johnny Firecloud, The Hottest Girls in Gaming, CraveOnline, November 16, 2010. Japanator.com's Bob Muir included her on the list of "Japanese gaming's top ten hottest girls", stating: "In fact, Morrigan is so popular that many people know of her sultry looks who have never touched a Darkstalkers game."Bob Muir, Japanese Gaming's Top Ten Hottest Girls and Guys, Japanator.com, 01.23.2011. In 2012, she was listed as one of ten sexiest video game characters by Fernando DaQuino of Tecmundo, MSN Malaysia included this "shameless succubus" among the 20 "hottest women in video game history",The hottest women in video game history, MSN, 21 September 2012. and K. Thor Jensen of UGO included her among the 99 "hottest" fictional women of the year, calling her inclusion the best thing about Marvel Vs. Capcom 3.K. Thor Jensen, Morrigan Aensland - The 99 Hottest Fictional Women Of 2012, UGO.com, February 1, 2012. John Corpuz of Tom's Guide included her on his 2013 list of the 20 "hottest video game babes," adding that "when it comes to 90s fighting games, Darkstalkers’ Morrigan is the definitive poster girl."John Corpuz, 20 of The Hottest Video Game Babes, Tom's Guide, April 26, 2013. Notes See also *[[List of Darkstalkers characters|List of Darkstalkers characters]] *List of succubi in fiction References External links * Morrigan's [http://strategywiki.org/wiki/Darkstalkers/Characters/Morrigan Darkstalkers] and [http://strategywiki.org/wiki/Marvel_vs._Capcom/Characters/Morrigan Marvel vs. Capcom 2] entries at StrategyWiki.org Category:Adoptee characters in video games Category:Capcom protagonists Category:Characters designed by Akira Yasuda Category:Cosplay Category:Darkstalkers characters Category:Deity characters in video games Category:Demon characters in video games Category:Female characters in video games Category:Fictional antiheroes Category:Fictional bisexual females Category:Immortal characters in video games Category:LGBT characters in video games Category:Politician characters in video games Category:Shapeshifter characters in video games Category:Twin characters in video games Category:Queen characters in video games Category:Video game characters in comics Category:Video game characters in film Category:Video game characters in television Category:Video game characters introduced in 1994 Category:Video game characters who can duplicate themselves Category:Video game characters who can teleport Category:Video game characters who use magic Category:Video game mascots Category:Video game secret characters Aensland, Morrigan Category:Characters created by Akira Yasuda Category:Female video game characters Category:Fictional British people in video games Category:Fictional Scottish people in video games